'BREAST CANCER SURVIVAL HAS DOUBLED'

Researchers tell new there's reason to be optimistic after a diagnosis

- LUCY ROBINSON

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK – with one woman being diagnosed with the disease every 10 minutes.

One in seven will receive a diagnosis at some point in their lives, but the public are more aware of the issue than ever thanks to high-profile names, such as the TV presenter Julia Bradbury, Strictly pro dancer Amy Dowden and the Duchess of York, speaking about their own experiences.

Despite the statistics, there is still huge cause for hope, and the work being done to beat breast cancer cannot be underestimated.

Compared with 20 years ago, women in England who are diagnosed with early breast cancer are 66% less likely to die from the disease within the first five years – and it doesn’t stop there, as charities are keen to highlight.

“Breast cancer survival has doubled in the past 40 years in the UK. In the 70s, four in 10 women diagnosed with breast cancer survived their disease beyond 10 years, now it’s around eight in 10,” says Dr Kotryna Temcinaite, Breast Cancer Now’s head of research communications. “Also, almost nine in 10 women are now alive five years or more after their diagnosis.”

These figures can be attributed to a range of different factors, from higher rates of early detection to a wider range of treatments being available. There’s reason to celebrate how far we’ve come, and remain optimistic about the future.

“For instance, the launch of the routine NHS breast screening programme in 1988 revolutionised early detection of breast cancer. The breast screening programme prevents around 1,300 breast cancer deaths every year in the UK,” says Dr Temcinaite.